“It would seem that you have no useful skill or talent whatsoever,” he said. “Have you thought of going into teaching?”
-Terry Pratchett
Okay, that quote will probably raise the ire of some teachers out there. So let me also include one from some other famous guy:
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
-Albert Einstein
Although I’ve written a few informational articles on how to find jobs and teach ESL abroad (see the About Me page), I’ve never actually written about my experience teaching itself. I suppose it seemed corny in some respects while being overly pedantic in others. Well, I give in. I’ve received a few emails, usually from folks who’ve read my articles posted on other sites, so I thought I’d elaborate on my experience teaching ESL abroad. I’ve taught, and was paid, in South Korea (1 year) and Ukraine (4 months), and volunteered in Cambodia (1 month).
TEACHING IN GENERAL
I’m divided on whether or not teaching is actually hard. I suppose it can be, especially when you or the kids don’t have energy and things just aren’t coming together. That being the case, the process of teaching isn’t overly difficult. First, you prepare a class with a central theme to get across to the kids, then you hammer that message home by way of an introduction where you give an example of what you’re going to try to teach (and it’s always “try”), next an instructional portion where you tell the kids what’s actually going on and get them to repeat or what have you, and finally, you usually have a game or an activity where you try to get the kids to practice over and over and over again what you’re trying to get across. After all of that is said and done (and that usually takes about 50 minutes), you test the kids to see if they’ve actually learned anything by way of a review. If you haven’t figured out what works or not before the review, this is where you’ll find out for sure if the kids actually learned anything. That’s teaching a class in general. (Teachers, please correct me if I’m wrong.)
IS TEACHING ESL LIKE TEACHING IN NORTH AMERICA OR EUROPE?
I never taught in North America, never intended to, and still don’t care to… unless you count becoming a professor (which I have yet to do), and even still, I haven’t heard about too many job openings in my field (ancient history). Unlike their North American and European counterparts, however, many ESL teachers do not have the responsibility to pass or fail students. HOWEVER, and this is a big one, this entirely depends on your school and contract. There are some teachers I know who’ve had to decide whether or not a student can travel abroad and study in a place such as Canada, so it’s been known to happen that you have to make decisions that have lasting consequences. On the flip side, some teachers rarely have to do much more than conduct their regular school-year classes, a summer and winter camp, and maybe some one-off special classes here and there. Other than that, a rookie teacher usually won’t be given the power to pass or fail a student in their first year of teaching ESL.
IS THE MONEY ANY GOOD?
I recently wrote an article about making money while working and travelling abroad. Yes, the money can be quite good, but that depends entirely on your spending habits. I don’t see too many teachers driving around in BMWs, Lambos or Ferraris, but most folks aren’t suffering either. During your first year in countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and even China now, you can expect to make around $1500 or more a month while having your entrance and exit flights, accommodation and, on top of that, a settlement fee. That’s just for showing up and being sober enough to teach. You’ll also get health insurance and some other perks as well. And that’s only teaching ESL in public schools. You can find other jobs, some better paid, in private institutions or universities. Private institutions are businesses like any other and need to make money, so disciplining students becomes a whole new challenge (discipline a student, they complain, you get in trouble.) It can be great, or it can suck big time. For places like Ukraine, I made about $900 for 7 weeks’ work. Enough to live well within the country but not much more. As for universities, often you need to know “someone on the inside,” but these jobs do exist. Find out when semesters begin in your target country and then, a month or two in advance, send out a query letter to the universities. Universities also give more vacation time and the students can generally converse more.
ISN’T IT HARD TO TEACH WITHOUT KNOWING THE LOCAL LANGUAGE?
Huh? You’re there to teach E.N.G.L.I.S.H. Not become fluent in the country’s native language. And the companies and government organizations that fund public schools, know this. Sure, knowing a bit of the local language will make your life a lot easier, especially in your day-to-day life, but as for teaching itself, you’re there to teach English and you’re not responsible for translating into the native language. Many schools prefer you not to know the local language because then the kids have no recourse to getting an easy explanation. They’re supposed to focus. Sometimes it works, but sometimes that theory gets reaaaalllly fucked. And that’s when you learn how to explain using pictures, exaggerated gestures, and, calling on the smartest kid in the class (hopefully you have one.) Some places, such as South Korean public schools, place you with a Korean co-teacher whom you will be expected to work with to teach the class. Universities won’t give you a translator as the kids will be older and typically already have a grasp on the language. Some private institutions will give the kids a grammar class in their native language, then ship them off to you, the English speaker, for an intensive English class so they can practice their new grammar skills. And this is where you will probably learn a lot about English grammar, because you will have to understand what they’ve just been told by their native teacher.
WILL I GET ABDUCTED AND SOLD INTO SLAVERY?
I can’t say for sure, but, if you do your research and go with your gut instinct, that should minimize the problems you may encounter when going abroad. I’ve heard some bad stories so I can’t say it’s absolutely safe to go off and teach English, but with a little bit of due diligence, your adventure will probably be a lot safer than you might imagine. Exercise caution and follow your instincts. There will be a lot of emotions simply deciding to go abroad never mind working abroad. There are a few countries that run programs to place teachers, they include South Korea, Japan, and China. Further, there are a few reputable recruiters you can go through which gives you an extra layer of security. Finally, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be careful and research your options. Further, in light of the recent school shootings in the US, some might wonder if teaching ESL abroad is safer than the western world. No, there have been reports of knifings at Chinese schools, riots in southern Thailand, and passports being withheld in Indonesia. Research, learn and understand the risks before making a decision. The biggest and most common problem, however, isn’t violence or the money, it’s…
WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE IT?
You can leave. Be careful with this, however. It is an expensive and time consuming process to bring in a foreigner. Don’t forget that your employer is often going through a lot of emotions in having you work there. That being the case, you have to do what’s best for you. Although I rarely quit jobs and hate breaking contracts, there are sometimes when you can’t avoid it. Culture shock can be a huge issue for some folks. Those with ex’s they left behind, ailing parents or grandparents, or, simply, you miss your family, friends, and the comforts of home. That’s okay. Typically the worst punishment you’ll receive is that you must pay back the money for your entrance flight ticket. Some places, such as Indonesia, however, keep your passport and often won’t give it back. I don’t know why or how people agree to these things, but I guess some times you just don’t know. Your passport is your legal document, you need that in case anything happens. I hesitate giving my passport to hostels let alone an employer. I mean, what if they turn out to be assholes or part of a corrupt drug running cartel? Why should I be stuck against my will? Finally, if you really want to find out if you like teaching, try volunteering instead. It’s different from a paid gig since it’s not as strict, but the principles are the same and, again, the teaching process is much the same. I know one guy who went this route in Cambodia and then went on to South Korea for a paid gig.
IN CONCLUSION
So that should give you a some idea of what to expect as an ESL teacher abroad. My first destination was South Korea and I loved it. As a shameless plug, I even made a short film while there. If you want to see what my classroom was like and even what some of your best students will sound like, take a look here. It’s a great experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s thinking about trying it out. And to bring it back to the quotes I posted above. There are so many opportunities out there that teaching ESL is really just one of them, it can be a foot in the door or a few fingers or the whole body. Finally, your job isn’t so much to impart life-long knowledge onto your kids. No, your job as a teacher is to inspire them to learn. Whether or not they ever actually learn what you are teaching (in this case, English) will be a decision they themselves make. I’ll end with one more quote from some other famous guy:
We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.
-Stephen King